thread of getting sw0le

I'm finally starting to make progress on my lifts again after a solid month out of the gym (between a very sick cat who needed nearly round-the-clock care, followed by two weeks of first me, then my partner getting miserably sick) had me spinning my wheels, but I'm going to be without access to a proper gym for almost a month starting July 8 while doing a study abroad program :(

I need to figure out what to do instead but I have no idea; I'm gangly enough that classic body weight stuff like pushups is unreasonably hard compared to comparable free weight exercises

it also forced me to start running right (on my toes) and now cramping doesn't happen nearly as much.

― The times they are a changing, perhaps (map), Tuesday, June 20, 2017 7:52 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

forefoot strike is good but not the only way to run correctly, right?

another way is midfoot strike because the impact is absorbed at the most stable part where it can diffuse the impact evenly

a heal strike is bad because it is the weakest and hits your ankle (weak) and runs up to your hip and spine

when i was training for a half marathon i used a midfoot strike then changed to a forefoot strike to gain speed. nice thing about forefoot strikes is that they work your calves the most out of all three strides. going on a hike with some incline and doing a light jog with a forefoot strike is an awesome work out for the calves

how did i miss PainSled! lol awesome

dude it's the best

(...if you love logging data, which i do)

i think my gym's ergs are all PM3. i could plug into usb but nah. i completed 7 repeats today. it was hell but i could have done another prob.

i did 8 today. that one on 6/24 was my last until 7/16 because i got a cold then i went on vacation. it is entertaining but also horrible how much harder each successive repetition is. i'm going to do 8 again next time, then move up to 9, dear sw0lemates.

i take picture
https://i.imgur.com/wkf6Lww.jpg

The former World Champion in Powerlifting Squats pointed me out as an example of correct form while I was working out today. OK, I was doing bicep curls and what the hell does a squat guy know about those, but still...

moving has completely disrupted my regimen, so it's been a month(!) since i've lifted (though i've been to the climbing gym a few times)

apparently i'm a ten minute walk from this place, which i guess is super legit, in addition to being super affordable

prolly gonna check it out this week

that looks awesome!

Yeah, that's exactly what you're looking for -- if the vibe is right, do it.

that place looks dope!

think i'm gonna go check it out today!

I did the unthinkable and left my headphones at home when I went to the gym Tuesday. Then I did it again Wednesday. Now I think I kind of like it? You can get a lot more done, sometimes, when you aren't fiddling around with the endless library of music on your phone

harbl those are good times. you must be tall

lol i am tall but i also have lots of experience on these demon machines

pretty sure i had a dream i was randomly in albuquerque and sheepishly asked gbx if i could go to the gym with him

i probably have said this every year of this thread's existence (don't ctrl+f me) but this year i was going to do a chin-up. i have only started working hard on in in the last month by doing flexed arm hangs and negative chin-ups. much like the time i figured out overhead pressing i feel like i had an epiphany today. at first i got so sore in my abs for days, and i had trouble not swinging too much from the bar after jumping up (i use a big box thing and jump the rest of the height to get up) and contracting my abs hard enough for a long time but boy do you get better at it fast. also it helps to combine them. if i just try to do a negative chin-up right off the bat i hang on my elbows too much. if i hold for several seconds then slowly descend it's much cleaner. i have to think of pulling myself more sideways toward the bar, not up.

i think i get a free guest, so cmon down

so far the new gym seems Good

i might be intimidated by a place like that tbh! are dudes yelling "GRAHHH!" and throwing the weights down and shit?

they do that in my Y and that is y i am homicidal

Competitors will grunt, generally are respectful of the equipment, and more likely to help you out than THE BIGGEST DUDE at your average gym.

They'll also notice and nod respectfully at you if they see you putting in the work and getting gains, which has definitely been helpful for me.

the grunters in my gym are not competitors in anything except grunting

i might be intimidated by a place like that tbh! are dudes yelling "GRAHHH!" and throwing the weights down and shit?

― illegal economic migration (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, August 1, 2017 2:30 AM (three days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

only been a couple times but generally not? when i was getting the tour (it's essentially just a room) the owner said that maybe 20% of his clientele were competitive powerlifters, and the rest were just general fitness types like me. he also said that, at that time, it was about as busy as you could expect and both deadlift platforms were empty as were two of the four squat racks

no erg, though :(

New guy was checking out my gym this afternoon and he was a show-offy grunter. Also in the gym with us at the same time were a retired competitive body builder and a competitive power lifter, both of whom could have snapped this guy in half, and after they laughed out loud at one of his showier "YAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHs!", he got a lot quieter. Competitive bodybuilders and weightlifters are there to work and save the competitive leave it all on the floor stuff for the competition.

went to the gym for the first time in my life yesterday at 33 years old.

my shoulders are really sore and it's hard to get things out of the back pocket of my jeans

Congrats!!!! Do you love it?

i enjoyed it! and felt good and tired afterwards. the idea of going to the gym has always been just awful to me but just going once sort of demystified the whole thing for me. i just go in, pull on some machines for a bit until my muscles feel tired and then go home and then i get stronger eventually? sign me up.

Wait till you can hang upside down and do pull-ups. So happy with what a year of working out has achieved, I've stopped falling to pieces.

they put a platform in and got bumper plates. there is this guy who comes now and does olympic lifts. he makes a lot of noise because he insists on throwing the weight regardless of what he is doing. here's the best part. he has a velcro belt. yesterday it kept coming open. so his weight throwing was proceeded by the sound of a very long wide piece of velcro rrrrrrrrrripping

hahaha yess

i just lifted in socks today and.. like.... the weight felt really easy!!! that might just be cause i went to bed on time last night tho

olympic lifts are a lot of fun though, are you going to try some ? xp

Olympic lifts are hard. Been doing some CrossFit style classes at my gym and the movements are complicated to master. That said I did finally figure out power cleans which I had struggled with for years so there is something to be said for mastering them.

no doubt. i have benefited from some great coaching which I know most people don't have access to . but just breaking them down to smaller movement like a good hang power clean can be cool.

One small trick for those not using a full time coach (ie everyone not crazy rich) is that it's helpful to set up your smart phone and film your movements.

i don't think olympic lifting is for me. my body is 90% made of femurs.

i've been a bad sw0lebro. in frustration at my pathetic bench "progress" i.. i don't know how to say this.. i DID AN ISOLATION EXERCISE AND I LOVED IT OKAY? i did dumbbell flys (properly) and I LOVED THE BURN. I FELT V STRONG. shit. i'm going to hell :(

on the flipside i am ripping up the recordbook with my squats, i honestly think i am going to get to three plates on each side by the end of the year which is frankly ridiculous if you look at me.

i don't believe in not doing exercises because they are not cool with the exception of the ridiculous shit this one former college football player who comes and talks about how much he loves jesus does. do you do dumbbell bench? i love it

after doing a great job for a long time i haven't been to the gym in 12 days. i am v busy at work and just want to sleep. it'll be ok. might go tonight.

i did after you suggested it, it was v hard but it was good and i should do it again

I had a long hiatus basically immediately after signing up for the new gym but made it back the other day

deloaded to 0.9 of my previous worksets and it was good but man was I sore

Maybe once a year, I'll go 7-8 days without going to the gym. But otherwise I'm terrified not to go, because I'm afraid that if I take a break I'll just fall out of the habit and stop going permanently. I guess that's probably not rational, but that fear has been a good incentive to go to the gym even when I don't want to.

if i don't go for as long as this i get anxiety about going back. i'm not going tonight. i will def go tomorrow. it'll be 13 days. it happens to me about 4-5 times per year and it is always easier to start again than i think it will be.

feels good man

probably not going to go consistently until october (the best month). i'm only just about to enter a stretch of getting home very late from work for 3 weeks. lol lawyering.

i went yesterday and genuinely had a good time. now i am sore.

well it finally happened. today i couldn't get out of the hole. my very first rep for what was going to be my max 3x5 and i just crumbled. so i took 10kg off and did my sets. slight bruise to the ego was my only injury. no idea what happened, i just didn't have it. i think i need to work on going lower. i always go parallel but i've been so afraid of "butt wink" and rounding my back that i don't go much lower than that. so if the weight feels particularly heavy and pushes me down past parallel i have trouble getting back up. so i think my plan is to stay 10kg lighter and get lower.

i did some deadlifts after and finally they are starting to feel good again. i've been feeling too far forward, just awkward, but i'm getting back over them properly now.

/seacrest out

i have been 3 times since my hiatus. and my thing is probably getting postponed so i can keep going.

you don't go past parallel??? part of the joy of squats imo is getting as low as possible

a bit lower but not too much, no.